WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
Makes sense to me, if not exposed to air it can't mold/oxidize. Through my 1 week of experience thus far this seems to be a technique that is quite easy to screw up.
2026 Perique'n Out
- Thread starter WillQuantrill
- Start date
Making Perique is a stinky, somewhat random succession of microbes. E. coli, always seems to start off winning the race, and causing a definite outhouse aroma. But the hero, Pichia anomala, takes the lead (after at least several weeks of stink), wipes out the E. coli, and produces the intense, fruity potency of Perique.
Bob
Bob
StoneCarver
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
That's the idea. Even the weights to keep the sauerkraut submerged is ideally also submerged. Still things can happen like the growth of kahm yeast which can make sauerkraut taste like bread- not nice. I used to regularly make sauerkraut but got fed up with it since I'd get kahm yeast infecting my sauerkraut like 2 out 3 times. So, I haven't made any in a long while. Idk if kahm yeast growing on tobacco/perique is a risk but my gut tells me its probably not. That's because tobacco leaves likely have a lower sugar content than cabbage.
WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
Another nuance of a rustic fermentation process like this "is this good or bad scum on top"? Haha
WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
Never be assured of success in a well laid plan, I had loaded all of my Corojo into the kiln 5 1/2 weeks ago and was quite proud of myself that I had not opened it a single time since September 4. Last night a Thunderstorm knocked out the power and I realized I had better open the door on the kiln as the temperature would drop putting the leaf at risk of mold. Damn Thunderstorm broke my streak. All is well though, power was back on by morning and I plan on pulling Seco this weekend for sorting at 6 weeks fermented. Leaf does look like its coming along nicely though.
StoneCarver
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
Did you post a thread on your kiln build? It looks like you are also using an ultra-sonic humidifier and that you have your nozzle sort of in the middle of the kiln. That's something I didn't think about and its probably a very good idea. I ran my hose/nozzle down a corner of the kiln and that's not working so well. The leaves in the middle of my kiln tend to get dry whilst the ones on the edges are very damp. The bottom half of the all the leaves are much drier than the top halves which was unexpected. I may have to rethink this. BTW: much of the hose on yours is horizontal. I'm wondering if you get puddling of water in the hose. I do so I ran mine straight down. I hated drilling a hole through the top of my kiln but I didn't see a better way to avoid puddling in the hose.
WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
This is my grow blog from 2023 where I mention building the damn thing.
forum.wholeleaftobacco.com
Very early on I experienced some puddles collecting in the humidifier hose which can be a pain because it will stop any mist from traveling farther through the hose. But my fairly simple fix was to secure the hose better, it seems that the condensation was pooling enough to cause a droop in the hose which caused more pooling. After wiring it to the grate about every 4 " and the hose is pretty close to perpendicular it hasn't been an issue. Thank you for noticing the strategic placement though, I tried to put the hose output as centered (depth, width, height) as possible so that the moisture immediately joins the ever-circulating air. In the top internal corners there are 2- 3" duct fans that run constantly so even though the hose is pointed downward you can visually tell the air deflecting off of the floor of the kiln is blowing it back up and then circulating. The part about this contraption I am most surprised in are the ceramic heat bulbs. This is my 4th season with the kiln and I have yet to have to replace one even though the whole thing runs for 3-4 months non-stop.
Post fermentation catch up: @WillQuantrill
Second attempt growing. First picture is from April 15, fairly certain seeds were started late March. Second picture is May 15. Tried to simplify strains this year to cut down on the chaos. Corojo (labeled Coroja), Corojo 99, Texas Cuban, and Moonlight. Biggest take aways for new guy at this...
Very early on I experienced some puddles collecting in the humidifier hose which can be a pain because it will stop any mist from traveling farther through the hose. But my fairly simple fix was to secure the hose better, it seems that the condensation was pooling enough to cause a droop in the hose which caused more pooling. After wiring it to the grate about every 4 " and the hose is pretty close to perpendicular it hasn't been an issue. Thank you for noticing the strategic placement though, I tried to put the hose output as centered (depth, width, height) as possible so that the moisture immediately joins the ever-circulating air. In the top internal corners there are 2- 3" duct fans that run constantly so even though the hose is pointed downward you can visually tell the air deflecting off of the floor of the kiln is blowing it back up and then circulating. The part about this contraption I am most surprised in are the ceramic heat bulbs. This is my 4th season with the kiln and I have yet to have to replace one even though the whole thing runs for 3-4 months non-stop.
WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
6 weeks into the kiln and I pulled Coroja Seco. Brought it into high case and let it sit for about 3 hours before I smoothed it out and stacked then left a cutting board on the stack overnight. I did have to cull out more leaf that still had green remnants. Also pictured is my display leaf, I set aside 1 Perique top priming solely for display after kilning. Every year I pick one variety I've grown to hang on the wall of my office at work.
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